Nikolai's POV
I stared the redhead down as she slowly peeled the flimsy dress off her body, her eyes never leaving my face. She was a petite young woman with full lips and a voluptuous body. I didn't care to remember her name either. All I knew was that she was an omega in the pack, and all she wanted was to be bent over and fucked senseless. I, of course would oblige.My eyes riveted to her chest as her full tits came into view. I could see she was already aroused by how taut her nipples stood. Hunger rushed through me and I could feel my cock push through my khakis in protest.Grinning, she approached me, placing one hand on my neck and began to trail kisses all the way down to my chest. I watched in surprise as she continued to do so, up until her lips were an inch away from my crotch.I grasped her hand firmly, stopping her. I didn't have time for this shit. I just wanted to get it over with.Still gripping her tightly, I pulled her to the bed and flipped her over, spreading her legs apart and unzipping my shorts. Her panties were already wet at the center when I pulled them off.She let out a whimper in pleasure as I opened her up with my fingers before slowly penetrating her. She held onto the sheets for support as I viciously pushed in, moaning with each hard thrust.When I felt my release coming, I quickly pulled out of her, watching as my seed spilled over the sheets. Satisfied, I let her fall onto the bed and walked to the bathroom to clean up. Once in, I scrubbed myself thoroughly with my soap and shampooed my hair.Like always when I fucked any she-wolf, I felt disgusted and intent of scrubbing away their filth off me. Since I lost Elle, I had never had any connection with any she-wolf, nor did I want to. I knew that some members of the pack had been plotting to get into my bed, but no matter how hard they tried, they would never be able to replace Elle. No one could. I just needed a hard fuck to help me release. Nothing more, nothing less.I paused as I bent to retrieve my khaki after showering. I could hear the distant sound of hooves. The sound of wolves running. And from the foul stench, I knew they were rogues.My brows furrowed as I wondered what rogues could possibly be doing so close to our territory. Almost immediately, Drew mindlinked me.'Alpha, rogues close by. Ready at your command.'That confirmed my hunch. Dumping my khakis for a wider pair of shorts that wouldn't rip when I transformed, I strode out of the bathroom."Get out," I said simply to the redhead as I grabbed my phone and checked the time. It was late enough. The moon stood bright outside so transformation would not be a problem."W-what?" I heard her stammer.I looked up, glaring at her in irritation. "Did you not hear me?"My voice was higher now.I saw fear flash briefly in her eyes before it was replaced by a flood of disappointment. Cheeks flushed, she gathered the sheets around herself and huffed her way out of the door. I didn't miss the tear that dropped down her cheeks just before she banged the door behind her.It was all meaningless sex. Why did they always expect more afterwards?Shaking my head, I bounded toward the door, pausing when I came face to face with Drew and Colton."Alpha," They both nodded as they sighted me.I waved off their greeting. "Do we have a location?" I asked Drew, shifting and already running out the door."North. It seems like they're leaving the city."We'd been trying to gain on these rogues for weeks now. But every time we came close to catching them, it was like they disappeared. The only explanation for this was that they blended in with packs in other territories, as I had no authority there.But why would that be?It made me start to wonder if they were actually working for, or with a pack.But who?The only person powerful enough to harbor rogue wolves was Jonas Verbeck. I still couldn't understand it. But would he do that? Rogues were no protected under any law. And most of the time, they killed indiscriminately; innocent wolves, humans.My jaw clenched as I remembered the amount of bloodshed from the past week. They had preyed on large numbers of she-wolves and pups.My breath quickened. I could feel the anger surfacing like it always did when I saw things that reminded me of Elle.My wolf growled, desperate for vengeance.Without a word, I took off. The light of the moon hit me, making me feel even more powerful and increasing my strength twofold. I ran until I could no longer hear Drew and Colton behind me. But I didn't bother because they knew where we were headed.I sniffed the air around me. They were close. If only I could catch them thus time.The cool wind that came with the night made it easier for me to sniff them out.I frowned. Why on earth were they moving toward the Red Moon pack? I wondered in alarm.Growling, I quickened my pace, rushing forward as I sighted a flash of brown fur ahead.As I gained on it, I saw Drew emerge from behind the trees on one side and I knew they had taken another routine.I mindlinked Drew and Colton to go after the other two rogues while I took care of the one present.I bared my teeth at the rogue as we circled each other. As it usually was with rogues, his fur was thicker and longer, and his foul scent was thick in the air.I watched him shrink back in fear as I clawed at him in a split second. Under the moonlight I was stronger, faster, more lethal.Sensing that it was a fight he couldn't win, he took off. I was hot on his heels in a few seconds, my face contorting with rage when Drew mindlinked me.'We lost them, Alpha.'I ignored him, following as the rogue disappeared into a cluster of trees.I bounded after him but it was as though he'd become faster.As I stretched out a limb to grasp him at the fur, he leaped through the air and into the border separating Red Moon from Selene.I let out a deafening growl in anger. After a few moments, I mindlinked Drew to meet me back at the pack.I needed to find out what these rogues were up to and what connection they had with the Red Moon pack.Liyah’s POV"He has got the sexiest body I have ever seen," I heard Barbara groan as I silently washed the pile of wine glasses that were strewn all over the kitchen counter.The festival was approaching and we needed to round up with the final preparations. I couldn't even count how many dishes and glasses I had washed today, and I still had not had my breakfast. As if on cue my stomach grumbled. I nearly dropped a glass in fear, praying that no one heard. I would pay for it on two counts—disturbing their peace and being a disgusting pig like they always called me.A few seconds passed and no one had said anything. My shoulders relaxed.Okay. I was safe."Really?!" Christy cackled. "Then you have quite a long way to go," She said in a singsong voice, taking a sip of her lemonade.Barbara pulled out her bottom lip and folded her arms. "What do you mean?"I recognised the look on her face. She hated being the novice, the one who still ha
Nikolai's POVI frowned as I saw Stephan march into my quarters, bowing a little as he faced me. I hated to be disturbed, especially by this time, but I knew that for him to be here, it had to be urgent."Alpha," Stephan bowed again. "I have news I think you'd find interesting."I cocked an eyebrow, my breath suddenly hitching. I knew it could only be one thing. For years, I had waited, each weekend, hoping he would return with positive news, or at least a vital piece of information that would be beneficial to my plans. And with the glint in his eyes this time around, I was sure something had finally clicked. Stephan was the scout of the pack and also the spy I had given the task of keeping a close eye on Jonas Verbeck and his family."Spill it," I ordered, my mind running a thousand miles per minute."Verbeck is making plans to organize a massive festive celebration at the pack by hosting different packs and also popular figures in the country.""I bow
Liyah's POVIt was four days to the full moon. I sat at my bedside window, wondering what the festival would be like. To be in the midst of so many wolves. Everyone in the pack was up and busy making preparations for the moon festival which would consist of different packs assembling together to celebrate the full moon.Though my father had organized it to boast about his success yet again as the world most powerful and influential werewolf, it was also a medium to advertise the bravery of his beloved daughter, Barbara. His daughter who had more blood on her hands compared to her peers. Soon she would find her mate, and once again emphasis would be applied on just how much of a perfect daughter she was.I readjusted on my bed, sighing heavily. I'm not a wolf anyways, so what business does a mere man have with the moon festival? I shook my head. None of these things were my concern. I was insignificant in the picture and my pack. So I shouldn't be thinking about
Nikolai POVThe moon festival was just a few hours away. I could feel my heartbeat rapidly in my chest. The long wait for my revenge was finally over. Running the plan one more time in my head, my eyes scanned the map once more to enable me to recollect all the exit routes.I leaned lazily on the Van Drew had arranged for us for the kidnap, awaiting Stephan and the others. The material of the costume and mask I wore was made of a scratchy material and I vowed to tear it off my skin once I was done. When they arrived, we got into the car and soon, we reached the road.It was a rowdy environment; different packs all over the world gathered to celebrate one man. It was obvious that they were compelled to be here due to Jonas' reigning terror amongst werewolves. His title of the most superior alpha was not in vain. No one dared to cross or disobey him.The festival was about to kick off in a few minutes. I told Drew to move the car straight to the exit route and wait
Liyah's POVI shut my eyes from the searing pain that cut through my head as I slowly awakened, trying to take in the unfamiliar surroundings and remember how I got here.My vision was blurry, and my memory was slightly fuzzy but I could tell that I'd been unconscious for quite some time. I slowly stood to my feet, to examine the gloomy room. I felt the color drain from my face as I looked it over; dark, dirt crusted walls, and cobwebs loomed all over. And the cell-like door confirmed my suspicion that it was some kind of basement. My father had one just like this, where he used to throw offenders.The headache surfaced again, forcing me back to the ground. All I could remember was getting dragged off and bundled into a car, then knocked out by a strange face when I began to protest.My heart pounded as I tried to imagine how and why I got here. I scanned the room for escape routes and then I realized something; there was no window, only unevenly poked holes in t
Nikolai's POV Every time I remembered that I had Jonas' daughter held captive in my basement, I had a rush of two emotions; satisfaction that I had completed the first step of my plan, and anger. Anger that she was still there, anger that she was alive. She had no right living. No right to still be alive and healthy down there when she should be in pain instead. She should be writhing in pain every second. Furious, I raked my fingers through my hair, heading down to the basement to see what condition she was in. "Alpha," I heard someone greet me. I half turned to see a woman I didn't recognize. I frowned. She bowed immediately. "Make it quick," I snapped. In reply, she loosened her hold on the loose shirt wrapped around her chest. "Last night...w-was amazing," She stammered. "I had no idea you had your eyes on me all this while. Now I've figured it out I was hoping this..." She motioned to herself then me. "...would lead to something truly beauti—" "Can you shut up?!" I cut he
Liyah's POVMy entire body racked with sobs as I huddled against the wall still shaken from my encounter with my captor. I had had a pretty bad fall when he dropped me, and now I was unable to move my right leg. A tear dropped from my eyes as I tried to twist my foot to the left to see how bad it was. I realized that my ankle had taken the brunt of it.I still didn't get a good look at my kidnapper's face. The dungeon was just too dark. I had hoped to see his face, to enable me find out if I knew him from anywhere. If he was someone I knew then I would try to recollect why he would kidnap me. But I knew I had no enemies, well unless my pack counts. But apart from them, I hadn't had any encounter with anyone else that would make them want to punish me like this. The only thing I had made out so far was that he was obviously the Alpha of the pack. I could tell from the way they addressed him. But that wasn't good news either. It was rare to find a kindhearted Alp
Liyah's POVI felt like I had only just shut my eyes to sleep when I felt someone shake me awake. I opened my eyes weakly to see one of the guards looming above me."Get up," He ordered, pulling me up at the same time. As I stood to my feet I sucked in a sharp breath. My ankle was swollen and it looked even worse than yesterday. The guard didn't look like he cared as he pushed me forward, toward the door. I wobbled to the floor, wondering why the much friendlier guard wasn't here instead.As though he could read my thoughts, he walked in, taking in the sight before him and glaring at his colleague before gently holding onto my arm and helping me up. I murmured my thanks, grateful that at least one person didn't want me dead.I took shaky breaths in anticipation as they led me out of the dungeon. Getting out the dungeon wasn't an achievement, but I was thankful that I at least got to leave. As we got through the last wooden door, I instinct
EPILOGUEThe black-haired man who sat on a large ottoman fidgeting quickly sprang to his feet when he saw a middle-aged woman appear from the room directly opposite him. He had been wiping his clammy palms from time to time throughout his stay outside the room. At intervals he would shut his eyes in a silent prayer to the Goddess. His heart leaped in fear when she solemnly began to take off her gloves, and with his heart in his mouth, he waited for her to speak. But instead, her lips parted in a wide grin. "It's done. You can see them now."He raked a hand through his hair, smiling and then leaning in to accept the hug she was offering. "Jeez, Margaret. I was scared for a moment there."She only gave another chuckle. "Go on, they're waiting for you."He nodded shakily, walking into the room. His eyes first flew to the frail-looking woman laid out on the bed. She opened her eyes weakly when he walked in, smiling as she saw him. "Baby..." He whispered, quickly moving to her side. He t
Liyah's POVI tightened my arm over Nikolai's torso, leaning into him and not wanting to let go. I still felt eternally grateful to have him standing by my side alive and well. His wounds had been so bad that he had fallen unconscious for days. Margaret and I had to work day and night to treat him, mixing concoctions and applying them on him and the other man he had asked us to bring back with him. He still hadn't told us anything about the strange man. His wounds were nearly fatal, ten times worse than the ones Nikolai had sustained. I didn't know who he was but I was praying he would be okay. Nikolai chuckled and it sounded like music to my ears. It felt good to hear his laughter again. "Li, I know you love me and that you're happy to have me back, but now you've got me thinking you're planning to send me back into a coma."I laughed, loosening my hold on him. "Do you have any idea how long it's been since I touched you or even smelled your hair? Let me have my moment," I joked, pu
Nikolai's POVAs I waited with my eyes shut for a final blow that never came, it all happened at once. One second Jonas was staring at something on the other side of the garden, the next he had slumped to the floor, blood gushing from the hole in his forehead. Still in shock, I stared at Jonas' unmoving body on the floor through my heavy lids, and then I looked to the other end of the garden. That's when I saw her. Liyah dropped the gun from her hand, racing towards me in a split second. "Nikolai..." She breathed, placing a hand behind my head for support. "Drew and Annalise will be here soon, okay? I mindlinked them already. Just hold on..."I smiled, feeling my busted lip ache, but I didn't care. Liyah was here...leaning over me and smoothening out my hair. She was here...she was alive. And Jonas was dead. It felt like a dream. Everything had happened so fast, I wasn't even sure it had happened. My chest was burning, and everything was beginning to get blurry. But that was okay.
Nikolai's POVI could feel the heavy swelling in my right eye as I slowly regained consciousness. I knew I had only been knocked out for a few minutes but I could feel my head spinning. I clutched at the grass, trying to pull myself to my feet but my hands were too shaky. I fell back heavily onto the grass, expelling sharp breaths as my chest started to burn. A piercing scream made me look in the direction of the sound and I looked up to see Jonas digging his fangs into the other man's side. I gasped in shock, trying once more to stand to my feet. I had almost forgotten that the man called Gabriel had come to my rescue. As I tried to crawl over there, I saw Jonas ram his fists into Gabriel's face...over and over again until he finally stilled, his damaged face buried into grass as he fell from Jonas' grip.No, no, no."No!" I yelled, grabbing Jonas' attention to me. As long as he was yet to snap his neck off his shoulders, there was still hope. Maybe he could be saved. Jonas swung ar
Liyah's POVI counted my steps as Barbara and I circled each other, everything I had learned during training resurfacing in my head. I knew she was waiting for the perfect chance to strike, but for now she wanted to stall, make me wait before she came at me. I knew she was confident...the glint in her eyes and the way she was walking calmly as though she were strolling told me she was. And I knew it was because she didn't think I stood a chance against her. She didn't know I had a wolf now. That, was my advantage. She was confident enough that she thought I would be dead in a heartbeat. But she wanted to take her time, taunt me and toss me around before she could really enjoy tearing me into pieces. Which was why I played along. Since she didn't know I was a full werewolf now, why tell her? I would only wait. Wait for her to make a mistake. Then I would play my hand. "Oh, step sister, this will have to be the most interesting thing that has happened in this pack for a long time," S
Nikolai's POV'Nikolai?' My heart skipped a beat when Anna's voice filled my head in a mindlink. I stopped in my tracks, my breath caught in my throat, praying silently that she was about to deliver good news.'I can hear you Anna, what's up? Did you…' I paused, not knowing what exactly to ask. My insides churned as I waited for her response.'We've found Liyah, she's alright.' I felt my heart muscles loosen at the sound of those words, my clenched fists relaxed and I heaved a sigh of relief. Thank the goddess. Liyah was alive. She was safe. Everything would be alright now. 'Okay. That's very good.' I breathed'Drew says our soldiers have already rounded more than half of the Monhowl pack, a lot are dead and the few who are wounded are surrendering.' She sounded in my ears.I scoffed. So these were the best fighters of Monhowl. Pathetic.'Okay. I'll need you to help him gather all the prisoners, maybe into their dungeon or something then wait for my command.' I said and broke the m
Liyah's POVAs I sprinted out of the dungeons, I checked for any sign of life in the cells I passed, but there was no one present. I knew that most times Nanny Maria was either in the cells or in the servant quarters depending on which mood Mira was in. I needed to find her. She was the only member of this pack that I cared about. As I made my way up the passages where I knew she usually was, I prayed that she was still alive and well. I could feel the blood pump in my ears as I kicked the door down and stepped in. My heart fell. The room was empty. No, no. Where else could she be? "Maria!" I yelled into the deserted room. But there was no one around. My head spinning with different thoughts, I held onto the door to steady myself. Maria was alive. She is alive. And I was going to find her. I repeated the mantra in my head until I began to feel better. As I walked out the door, I heard someone sniff. I froze in my steps. It was short and ever so light. But I was sure I heard somethi
Nikolai's POVAnna held my hand in a light squeeze as we waited for Drew to arrive. He had already mindlinked us saying that he was close by. I nodded at her, understanding all she was trying to communicate to me. But I knew I would not be able to relax until Liyah was standing unharmed by my side. I signaled the pack to hide in the shadows as we heard footsteps approaching.Anna and I did the same. A few seconds later, a figure clad in a cloak slipped into the courtyard. My wolf growled but I held back. We needed to be calculative. As soon as he was in the middle of the hall, I stepped out. The spy staggered back in shock. As he made to escape, Drew pushed at him from behind, dealing him with a deathly blow before he could recover from the shock. As I walked toward the man who lay on the floor squirming and begging, I shifted to my elbow. He played a huge part in Liyah's abduction. He was part of the reason why she was not here with me. Kicking him up in the air, I held him forward
Drew's POVFear gripped my insides as I walked out of the study. I couldn't help but continuously blame myself. Why did we leave them both alone? We should have been around, at least we would have been able to stop them before they went too far. But we didn't. And now Nikolai would not stop blaming himself for everything. We were all at fault...we should have been more watchful. If a spy had slipped into our territory unnoticed, it was because we had all let our guard down whilst making preparations for the wedding and the engagement party. I tried to hold myself steady, looking in Nikolai's direction every now and then to make sure he was okay. I couldn't imagine how he must be feeling. As we halted at the entrance of the hall where he had ordered every single pack member to assemble, Nikolai stepped forward. He had already masked his expression as that of anger, and I marveled at how well he was keeping it together."A couple of minutes ago, I found out that my would-be Luna has be